Like a Man Possessed
by Paperhouse
Summary: Three weeks and two days - It feels like longer. After all, something about the end of the world makes it easier for you to lose your inhibitions. Rated for gore, language, sex, and much else. RokuShion
1. Prologue

**I watched dawn of the dead last night with Marcus (the walking dictionary) and thought i'd try mixing it with KH. haha. Should be fun. Totally AU**

**Title from the song by The Get up Kids  
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Disclaimer: Don't own :(**

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_**Roxas**_

The disease, later known as 'Nox Syndrome', broke out the morning of October 2nd.

Well, for me, anyway. It was strange, how ordinary everything had seemed. Only seven hours earlier I had been sitting on the porch with Namine, telling her about my day. I didn't see her very much anymore since she went to stay with her sister outside town, but she was visiting for the weekend. I remember how my lips tugged up at the edges as I heard her voice over the phone, saying she missed me.

Sitting next to her that night, I think I would have laughed in the face of anyone who said tomorrow would destory me.

She declined my offer for her to stay the night, though; saying she wouldn't want to intrude and would spend the night at a motel.

"Besides, wouldn't want _Sora _getting the wrong idea," She had pointed out, laughing softly. I merely smiled, telling myself that it wouldn't have mattered.

We talked for a little while longer after that. I asked about her sister: she was fine. Namine asked about Sora: he was annoying, I answered. She laughed at that. She got an amazing grade for her art and design project at college, and I congratulated her with a tight embrace. I insisted that she take my money for the motel which she reluctantly accepted, threatening to return it to me one day. Then she left, quickly kissing me on the cheek before disappearing along the street.

Sora showed up later that night. He stumbled through the front door, nearly tripping over his own feet on his way to the kitchen. I looked up from the counter as he walked in, dropping his keys onto the table and sinking into one of the mismatched seats - two of which were patio furniture.

"You're looking healthy," I commented, biting into the apple I had been throwing between my hands for ten minutes. "Bad day?"

Sora shook his head, which was now resting on the tabletop. He groaned softly. "Feel like shit…" He mumbled, almost incoherently.

I frowned slightly. He wasn't exactly pale, but it was obvious that something was wrong. By his appearance, he could have been dead for months. His face had somehow thinned over the last few hours, showing the line of his cheekbones more prominently. There was a strange tinge to his skin; soft grey.

"Where've you been all day?" I asked anxiously. Maybe he'd caught something?

Sora groaned again and slowly lifted his head off the table. His eyes were bloodshot and weary, like he hadn't slept in days. "Kairi called me this morning," He answered breathlessly. "She said that…Riku was in the hospital. She said…he was really…sick."

I pulled a face and spat out the piece of chewed up apple. It was brown inside, I noticed, the skin discoloured and bruised. I dropped it in the trash. "How long were you with him?" I asked Sora, moving into the seat next to him. "Riku, I mean."

Sora breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. "I wasn't allowed to see…him," He sighed, somehow unable to summon the anger he had clearly intended. "They're quarantining loads…of people who are…showing these symptoms…"

I shook my head and cut him off, lightly resting a hand on his shoulder. My thumb grazed the skin of his neck. He was freezing.

"Go get some sleep," I told him, pulling my arm back. However insensitive it seemed, I didn't want to catch whatever sickness he had. "You need to rest right now. Tell me how you feel in the morning, OK? If you're no better I'll take you to the hospital."

Sora nodded once and pushed himself up from the table, the chair legs scraping against the kitchen tiles. He stood up carefully and trudged back towards the door, resting a hand on the doorframe to support himself as he passed through to the hall. His hand remained on the frame until it was out of reach, pushing him forward as if encouraging him to stay on his feet.

I watched him go until he slid out of view, heading up the stairs to his room. I briefly wondered whether Riku was all right and if I should have asked about him. Then I stood up from the table, following the same path Sora had taken to the stairs.

Ordinary? Maybe not. But when I looked back on that day, weeks later, I knew I'd give anything to have it back.

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**Yay or nay? Next chapter - Outbreak, whoop**

**Reviews = cyber hug ****=)**


	2. Outbreak

**I feel proud for getting this done for today. yay :)  
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October 2nd, 07:08am

I never liked to sleep past 7. I felt like I was wasting my day when I was well enough rested as it was. Even when I didn't have class I still left my alarm set for 6:30, although most of the time I'd just hit snooze and lay in bed for a few more minutes, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't like I had some lust for life and didn't want to lose a minute; it was just that I didn't see the point in wasting the day in unconsciousness.

So that's why I was downstairs that morning, slowly pacing the kitchen and running my hands through my mess of hair. I knew Sora wouldn't be up for at least another three hours, even when he was healthy he was stupidly lazy, but I couldn't help feeling anxious. I would have checked in on him but I knew he wouldn't appreciate it. He didn't like people acknowledging when he was sick, however serious it was. So I decided to busy myself with cleaning up around the house. I washed up the dishes from the night before, chucked out empty cans of food and drink, and unlocked the back door - locking the doors at night was a habit I picked up from home. There was a strange smell in the air as I past through the back garden, where I dumped the bag of rubbish for tomorrow. I sniffed lightly and wrinkled my nose, deciding to breathe through my mouth before walking back inside. I didn't realise until later that what I had smelt was burning.

I past Sora's room later, on my way to the bathroom. There was no noise from within, not even the usual sound of his light breathing. I told myself that it was just because I wasn't really listening, though. But then again I never was.

I closed my eyes as I stood beneath the shower, feeling the water run down my back and shoulders. The sound of the endless scatter of water echoed in my ears, but it was oddly calming. Although I found myself listening intently for sounds beyond the walls of the bathroom. I was so on edge that I ended up standing completely still for ten minutes, my forehead pressed to the tiled wall of the shower as I waited. I don't what I expected; screaming? Choking? Maybe both. But I didn't hear a thing even as I left the bathroom, wrapping a towel around my waist. On my way back to my room I glanced towards Sora's door…which was now open.

I paused while shaking the water out of my hair, frowning deeply. I was almost certain that it had been closed before; I had even made a mental note of it as I past earlier. I took a step back and peered into the room. I couldn't see the window but it was obvious that the curtains were still drawn shut. It would be near enough impossible to see more than rough shapes in the darkness, if not for the light creeping in through the open door.

"Sora…?" I called uneasily. I stepped towards the door and caught sight of his empty bed, the sheets thrown haphazardly across the mattress. They were half on the floor, twisted and crumpled. Clearly he hadn't had a good nights sleep.

I slowly backed away from the room, leaving the door open as Sora had left it. I didn't want him accusing me of perving on his stuff - which I wouldn't have put past him to do. I paced back across the landing to my own room, quickly pulling on boxers and a pair of faded black jeans. I picked up the first shirt I found, laying across the small stereo on the dresser (an inside-out white shirt and black T-shirt) and yanked it over my head. I yawned widely as I left the room again, stealing a quick glance out the window. I could see the street outside, completely empty except for two people dashing across the road. It reminded me of when I used to play tag at school, although they looked a bit too old for such games. There was no point in dwelling on it though.

I stretched my arms above my head as I yawned, working the dull pain out of my lower back. I thought briefly that I must have slept funny, then I was walking downstairs.

"Hey, Sora, you feeling better today?" I asked, raising my voice so he'd be able to hear me from wherever he was in the house. There was no answer, though. I rested my hand on the banister and swung myself round, barely breaking my stride as I turned the corner towards the kitchen. I saw him immediately, staring out the window with his head tilted to one side like the garden was something incomprehensible.

"Sora?" I sung, laughing lightly. However I found myself slowing as I approached the doorway, my smile slipping as he silence persisted. "Dude, you OK?" I asked nervously, somewhat afraid that he was suddenly going to collapse.

But no. As a matter of fact, that was a situation I could have handled easily.

I stepped forward once more and rested a hand on the doorframe. I was only a few feet away from him now, with only the table between us. I didn't make a noise, but it was as I stepped into the room that Sora's head snapped round. I recoiled slightly, backing out of the room again as the abrupt movement startled me. I laughed briefly at my actions and focused my eyes back on his face. He looked strangely blank for a moment, as though he was completely empty of life, and then his eyes narrowed. His forehead and nose creased and his upper lip curled back, revealing a row of unnaturally sharp teeth. His rigid body turned towards me and for the first time I noticed the bandage on his bare arm, darkened by the crimson of blood.

My eyes widened considerably and I found myself stepping away from him. There was a strange feeling in my stomach, like it was being squeezed really tightly or twisted into dozens of unfixable knots. It took me a moment to realise that what I was feeling was terror.

Sora raised an arm and threw it out with frightening speed, hurling aside the table with as much ease as if it were a glass. Several chairs clattered to the floor as the table flew out of sight, but I heard as it crashed into the wall and splintered to pieces. I winced back at the sound, but my eyes remained on Sora. It was like I was in some kind of trance, one that refused to let me tear my gaze away from his. My feet kept moving backwards, though; somehow edging me towards the door without needing my mind to control them.

Sora appeared to smile for a moment, and I felt a glimmer of hope that he was just messing with me. Then his jaw snapped open and an inhuman snarl ripped out his throat.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I cried out and spun around, sprinting to the door with newfound speed. There was a crash behind me, followed by a roar of anger and the loud pad of rushing footsteps on the kitchen tiles. I smacked into the front door almost the second I started running along the short hallway. I fumbled for the handle and yanked it down sharply, but it didn't budge. I had a second to remember that I hadn't unlocked it yet, and to feel the panic that came with it, before I had to swerve aside. Sora hurtled into the door, crudely mimicking the same movements as me, causing it to tremble from the force. He screamed in what might have been pain and turned on me, teeth bared in an animalistic snarl. I pushed myself away from the door and sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. I'd seen enough horror movies to know that that was _not _a good idea. That's how you get cornered and ripped to shreds. But I had no other option - unless give up and die was in the selection.

Sora bounded along behind me, stumbling on the uneven ground of the staircase but regaining himself instantly. I glanced over my shoulder as I reached the landing. He was closer than I'd expected, so close in fact that if the stairs had been a few steps higher he would have undoubtedly caught me. An image flashed through my mind of Sora latching onto the fabric of my jeans; pulling me back sharply and plunging his teeth into the calf of my leg. I quickly shook away the delusion of my own blood soaking through the carpet, dripping from the hungry lips of my brother.

I turned the corner and ran for the first open door in sight, which thankfully was my bedroom. I practically leapt into the room, catching a glimpse of Sora as he turned the corner at the top of the stairs. A low growl ripped out of his chest as he stared at me. Saliva foamed at the corners of his mouth, streaming to the floor in thick droplets.

I slammed the door shut, and was instantly greeted by the sound of heavy fists pounding on the wood. His roars grew louder with fury and I backed away from the door, knocking against the dresser. I gasped and spun around, striking out at the piece of harmless furniture and injuring my fist in the process. I breathed in heavily as I cradled my trembling hand, realising just how badly I was shaking. My heart was thundering against my ribcage, its pounding echoing in my ears like the pain of a bad memory. My head darted about the room desperately in some kind of sick synchronisation with the hammer of Sora's fists on the door. I pulled the chair away from my desk and pushed it under the door handle, as if Sora might somehow be able to knock it down in the midst of his frenzy. Better to be safe than sorry, right…?

I glanced towards the window for the second time that day. But it was the first time I really saw what was outside.

A car was parked at the side of the street, its lights flashing intermittently as the wail of a siren cried out like the howl of an injured beast. The sound was dulled from inside the walls of my bedroom, but still very much there. I glanced to the other side of the road, my eyes wide. Most houses appeared to have been broken into, windows smashed or doors shattered into splinters of wood. A flash of red caught my eye through one of the smashed windows, trailing a thick line of smoke outside. Flames tore up the curtains, the room within filled with the red of fire and the thick, dark grey of smoke.

My eyes snapped back down as a man ran straight through the middle of the road, his arms spread wide. The wind tore at the flanks of his grey jacket and they fluttered behind him, like a sick impression of wings. His jaws spread wide and he screamed as he veered off to the side, finding a target out of my line of vision. I wasn't so far away that I missed the blood splattered across the front of his shirt, splashed across the lower half of his face. There was another scream from the street, so completely human and full of fear that I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my ears. Sora's fists crashed louder against the door, his emotionless scream reaching my ears despite my best efforts to drown him out. I was almost crushing my head between my two hands, forcing them forward so tightly that after too long they might have smacked together. Sora screamed louder, and then I found myself doing the same. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and screamed hoarsely, somehow grateful for the seconds of relief from the noise outside; and even more so from my brother's crazed roars.

…_never felt like such a mistake…_

My eyes snapped open as music blasted through the room, loud enough to be a stereo. I found the source in seconds, lying on the floor by the bed. My phone. The loudest phone ever to exist. I remembered that Sora had changed my ringtone a few days earlier as a joke.

_Running from lions never felt like such a mistake…_

What world are you living in, I thought.

I collapsed to my knees and crawled forwards briskly, snatching up my iPhone before it had a chance to stop ringing. I'd only had it for a little over a week - a birthday present from our parents - and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to work the damn thing. My eyes scanned the touch screen for a moment, wide and panicked. I groaned in irritation. In the end I pressed the first button I saw and lifted the phone to my ear, fingers crossed.

"Roxas…?"

I gasped and silently thanked what ever force had helped me in those few seconds. "Namine!" I cried in relief. "Are you OK? Where are you? Are you safe?"

There was silence for a few seconds, then Namine's voice came through the phone in a tight and trembling whisper. "Do you know what's happening, Roxas?" She asked. She sounded out of breath.

I found myself shaking my head, even though she couldn't see me. "Please, just tell me you're OK…" I pleaded. For some reason I found myself dreading her answer.

Silence once more, and then, "I heard banging when I woke up," She explained, her voice breaking. "There was this screaming outside my room and I went out into the hall. There was a woman on the floor, crying and holding onto her neck. Roxas…There was blood _everywhere_. I didn't know what to do and she kept screaming and she was spitting blood all over me and…and I think she died."

Despite my horror, I frowned. "You think?" I asked. "What do you mean, you think she died?"

Namine breathed a laugh that was completely humourless. "I felt her pulse. I think I did it right, anyway, and I didn't feel anything. But then she sat up and looked at me, like she didn't even know there was this hole in her neck. Then she just jumped on me and she was growling…I don't know…"

"Namine," I interrupted her softly, running a hand over my face. "Are you _OK_?" I asked again, slowly.

Namine breathed in sharply. I heard footsteps through the phone and high-pitched screams. They had to be close to her, for me to hear them so clearly. The thought terrified me. Where the fuck was she?

Namine sobbed. "It hurts…Roxas."

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**Axel in the next chapter. Horray! Please R&R x**


	3. Axel

**OK, I know it's been AGES since i last updated. I've been really busy and then my laptop screwed up and i lost all my documents. blah blah. the list goes on.i'm sorry, here's chapter 3**

**And sorry if it seems at all rushed. I really wanted to get this up before my friend Stephie hit me with her straightners again. **

**Italics = voice in Roxas's head**

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Since I was fourteen, I'd carried around the same silver penknife. I never found any use for it in the few years since, but I still kept it in my desk draw. After all it was a present from my brother.

But the day I asked Sora what I'd ever use it for, I don't think he would have expected this.

I trained my eyes on the door. It rattled violently under the force of Sora's fists, knocking against the chair beneath the handle. I could feel the sharp point of the blade against the tip of my index finger. I twirled it side to side slowly, silently marvelling at how the slight pressure managed to pierce my skin. I averted my eyes to the trickle of blood, seeping from the miniscule wound in a thin line. The sight of blood didn't bother me in the slightest, even in the occasional case where it was my own. How much would Sora bleed? How much of my brother's blood would drench me? _Those_ thoughts bothered me.

I squeezed my free hand into a fist. The pinprick on my finger stung somewhat from the pressure. Naminé's words ran through my mind, screaming at me over and over. I'd never known her to be truly afraid before. She always seemed placid and cool, unaffected by anything less than death. This was the girl that held me when my mother died and kissed me on my ninth birthday. She slapped me when she and Sora caught me scraping my keys along the side of our dad's car. Harmless and protective, she didn't deserve anything that the world had thrown at her. And I had to say, this took first place in that category.

I curled my foot around the leg of the chair and sharply jerked it away from the door. I automatically braced myself, although it was highly doubtful that the weak piece of furniture was a great contribute to keeping the door shut. Even so, I found myself tightening my grip on the knife as I walked forward. I raised my foot to smack it against the door and leant forward on my bent knee. My added weight to the door seemed to steady its trembles as Sora continued to batter it from the other side.

"I don't know what sick game you're playing, Sora," I spat bitterly. "But if this is a joke, it'd be a _very _good idea for you to stop now."

Nothing. Not even a pause or a breath. I might as well have not said anything because it made no difference. Sora screamed like a banshee and - I guessed by the sudden slower but more forceful rattles of the door - started throwing himself at the door. I lowered my foot and leapt back as the wood around the hinges started to split, splinters of wood like teeth bared in silent agony.

"Shit…" I hissed sharply, arms spread out as though some inspiration might fall into my palms. What was I supposed to do? The knife weighed heavily in my hand as if begging me to acknowledge it.

_What do you think it'll feel like, Roxas? Plunging the blade through his chest._

It was all the protection I had, but how the fuck was I supposed to kill my brother?

_You or him._

My eyes darted to the window, but I wasn't prepared to drop two stories to the ground. And what was there outside, anyway? More like Sora? Like the man that ran into the street? Either way, I wasn't about to break my legs jumping out the window. I wasn't so stupid as to render myself helpless to what ever was out there. It occurred to me that it was a simple matter of the lesser of two evils.

_Tick-tock…_

Sora crashed against the door again, splitting one of the panels down the middle. I started and tightened my grip on the knife. I tried to ignore the fact that I was shaking but it was too obvious - and I hated feeling weak.

_You're funny when you're tense_

"Shut up," I growled. Then the door burst open.

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It happened too fast. I hadn't expected Sora to hurtle through with such force, and the door spun towards me in a crazy arc. I gasped and my eyes shot wide with fear and amazement at the sight, then I was being thrown to the ground. The door was hurled against my shoulder and the force knocked me aside, the world a blur as my head swam in circles. Pain shot along my arm as I collapsed on my side, gritting my teeth so I wouldn't cry out. The door had landed on top of me on the ground, momentarily blotting out the light of the room before it was tossed away. I didn't have time to look up before a hand seized hold of my ankle and dragged me across the floor, the rough carpet grazing my stomach as my shirt rode up. I kicked out blindly, but I was abruptly released before my foot could connect with anything but air. I rolled onto my back and raised my hands, ignoring the throbbing pain in my left arm as Sora dived on top of me.

I was vaguely aware that the knife was no longer in my hand. But, to say the least, I had worse things to worry about.

I was oddly thankfully that Sora bit his nails, because my face would have been ripped to shreds otherwise. His fingers clawed at my cheeks as he reached for me, teeth snapping dangerously close to my neck. My hands grasped his shoulders as I fought to hold him back, but I wasn't nearly as strong as him. I was pinned to the ground beneath him, his knees on either side of my waist prevented me from moving at all. I turned my head and shrank away from him, panting and aching from the strain on my arms. My already injured arm was screaming for rest. And suddenly I could see the knife, lying several feet away beside the remains of the door. I knew straight away that there was no way I could reach it. Even if it was right next to me I wouldn't have been able to lower my arm to grab it. All the strength I had was concentrating on holding off my brother, whose face was now mere inches from mine. I wouldn't stand a chance for a second with one arm.

The realisation suddenly hit me that I was in a situation of hopelessness. I was trapped and defenceless, with only my last fragments of strength to keep me alive. My heart started racing even faster and my throat felt as though it was slowly closing up. I cried out pitifully, and in the same moment Sora suddenly started to shake violently. My eye widened, and with a sharp, anguished scream, Sora pulled back a heaved blood onto the floor. In a moment of blind panic, I bent my elbows and shoved Sora backwards, hoping it would be enough to forced him back while he was distracted.

Sora roared furiously as he fell off me, a mess of tangled limbs on the floor. My mess of emotions made me pause for a split second - the confusion of feeling utter terror and hope at the same time - but I soon recovered myself. I rolled over and reached out, snatching up the knife before I had time to panic over what I had to do. A hand grabbed at my arm and I cried out in fear. I swung round onto my back and drove my fist backwards. It was a completely aimless attack, and there was more chance that I'd miss my only opening. But by some fluke I didn't miss, and the blade drove straight through Sora's forehead.

He didn't move. His eyes were wide and his mouth had dropped open, like I'd just told him something unbelievable. The anger and desperate hunger had left his eyes, and suddenly there was nothing. Just the slow trickle of blood running along the bridge of his nose.

I gasped as the strength left my entire body. My arm fell limp beside me as it dropped from the knife and Sora slumped forward. His body laid beside me, his blood staining the carpet crimson. I could feel the sweat covering my body, sticking the clothes to my skin. I felt disgusting.

I breathed in shakily and turned my head to look at him. His eyes stared back vacantly, a cold and icy blue. He reminded me of the boy I'd seen the night before, broken and sickly. My brother.

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I grabbed random supplies from around the house. I stuffed anything I could find into my black backpack, including my iPod and house keys - although there was a voice in the back of my mind that I said I wouldn't need them; I wouldn't be coming back. I moved around in a daze, not quite aware of what I was doing but not completely oblivious either. I kept flinching and wincing away from things that weren't there. The ceiling felt as though it was about to collapse on top of me. I was so horribly aware that my brother was dead upstairs, blood pouring from the wound that I caused when I killed him. And I had no idea what the hell was going on. Maybe he'd caught rabies or something. But what about everyone else? I'd seen the destruction outside, and the man covered in blood. That would be one hell of a fantastic coincidence.

I grabbed another knife from one of the draws in the kitchen. It was much longer than the short blade on the penknife I had left behind. After all I wasn't about to pull it out of my brother's head. Not from lack of strength, but rather a sudden increase in gag reflex. The mere thought had made me recoil in horror and dart out of the room, barely holding down the bile that rose in my throat.

I stuck the knife through the belt loop of my jeans, briefly checking that it was secure before hoisting the backpack over my shoulder. As I left I glanced across the room at the ruined table, laying in a mess of broken wood against the far wall. The wooden legs had snapped off and were lying across the floor like broken limbs. I looked away, snatching Sora's car keys from the counter as I past into the hallway. I had no idea how to drive - Sora was older, so he always drove me wherever I needed to be - but I figured now was as good a time as any to learn.

I unlocked the front door and stepped outside.

I didn't know what I was expected to find. A deserted street? A street littered with people like my brother? But even though I knew that luck in no way fell into this equation, I _still_ had the _bad_ luck of having the keys to the one car in the entire street with a smashed windscreen. A smashed windscreen…adorned with a dead body.

I was too dazed, at first, to be disgusted by the sight, although I knew straight away that I didn't have the stomach to heave the gutted body off the bonnet of Sora's car. Even mangled and drenched in blood, I could see that it was just a girl, probably not any older than me. She probably went to my school.

I stumbled along the driveway, only dully aware of the sharp edge of the keys digging into my palm. There was a strange scraping sound pounding in my ears, and it was only as I choked that I realised the sound had been my own breathing. I pressed the back of my hand under my nose, blocking the sickly sweet scent of blood as it blew towards me with the sudden, sharp wind. But it was no good. I turned aside and threw up, feeling stupidly weak and pathetic. I'd seen this movie a thousand times, and I couldn't remember the 'hero' ever heaving up yesterdays dinner. But in what screwed up world was I a hero?

_This one….?_

Gripping the car keys tighter, I straightened up and dragged a hand across my mouth. At least I wouldn't be able to throw up again, since I'd just emptied everything out. Even so, I couldn't bring myself to look too closely at the young girl's mauled body. Just seeing her face, streaked with blood and frozen in a silent scream, was sickening enough. I paused by the car and reached out, teeth gritted, but my fingers didn't even scrape her ankle before a shrill screech cut into my ears. There was nothing human about it, and only minutes earlier my brother had made the same, gut-wrenching noise. I spun around, panting heavily, and nearly tripped over my own feet in the same movement. There were people at the corner of the street, barely a hundred yards away. In the instant I saw them I knew something was wrong, not that it took a genius by now. Some of them looked as though they were in pain: their bodies were racked with random convulsions, each one provoking agonised, animalistic screams. One of them, a man in nothing but a bathrobe, threw back his head and roared, spurting blood from his mouth, raining crimson over his face.

Terrified but transfixed, I watched as two of them started sprinting at me, moving in a blur of impossible speed. Their mouths fell open in horrific screams of hunger, their arms thrashing rigidly as though they were drowning in air. Some jolt of terror must have punched me in the chest in that moment, because suddenly I went from standing frozen in the driveway, to running full speed through the street. The wind punched at my face, trying to drive me backwards as I ran blindly along the cracked pathway. I could feel my backpack bouncing between my shoulder blades and I was tempted to dump it to lose the weight, but I seemed to have lost all kind of rational thought. I couldn't hold onto a single thought for more than a second before it was lost to mindless panic. Just keep running. Don't stop, don't even _think _of stopping.

_You can run, but you can't hide._

I turned a corner onto a narrower street - one side houses, the other fenced off from the grounds of the local school - and made the mistake of glancing back. It wasn't even that they were close, it was that they were so sickeningly close that I could see the dark bruises around their eyes, and the bright red lines spilling across the whites. I cried out in sheer panic, but there was no way to push myself to run faster. I was already doing just that, and they were faster. And in a brief moment of rationality, I took in my surroundings and knew that I was coming up for my only possible escape route - in an otherwise dead end. But if everything went spectacularly wrong - and something about this day screamed _spectacularly wrong_ - I'd be torn apart outside a _school_, of all places - _My _school. Well, I'd been torn apart inside it often enough.

_Don't think, just do it._

I forced myself on and veered off towards the back gate of the school, my hand already reaching for the cold metal to push it open. I came through this way every weekday morning at eight, but it should have been open at seven - in any other circumstances. Just as I thought to myself that I'd royally screwed myself over, my hand smacked into the gate and it flew open with a harsh screech. With a gasp, I spun around and shoved the gate back. Two heavy bodies crashed into the other side at once, very nearly forcing me over with the impact. Pale arms reached through the gaps in the metal, snatching at me with sharp and hardened nails, discoloured by blood. I grabbed the bolt and gave it a rough shove to the side, locking the gate with a screech of protest from the rusting metal. I leapt back instantly, panting and sweating - from more than just exhaustion. Straight away I was afraid that the force of their bodies crashing against the gate would be enough the break it down. The group, small as it was - I counted six as soon as I could do more than wheeze for breath - looked strong and determined enough to tear down a brick wall. And it looked as though they might have tried. They were soaked in their own blood, too, from wounds that I was sure stretched to more than just their visible flesh. A woman - no older than her late twenties with frizzy dark hair, matted with blood - had a chunk of flesh torn away from her cheek. Behind the torn shreds of flesh, I could just make out her stained teeth and thrashing tongue. It looked like someone had bit the lump clean out of her, and with a sick feeling I realised that was undoubtedly exactly what happened.

"_Hey!_"

Barely stifling a scream, I snapped around and reached for the knife sitting in my belt. Along with my senses, I remembered that I actually had a weapon.

The science building stood directly in front of me, a heap of grey metal with a few dirt-caked windows along one side. There was a man sitting on the cement stairs leading to the wooden doors, cradling a broken piece of pipe in his hands. It struck me how at-ease he looked, more like he was sitting in a deck chair with a view of the ocean, rather than on stairs with a view of crazed locals.

He stood up and raised the makeshift weapon, using the sharpened end to scratch the side of his head. He eyed me curiously, his crazy spikes of red hair bouncing as he tilted his head to the left, and then to the right. Something about the way he studied me, like I was some bug trapped under a microscope, was incredibly unnerving. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered me if I hadn't been running for my life ten seconds earlier. I probably would have kicked a bird if I thought it looked at me weird.

"Are you crazy?" I called out, surprised by how much I didn't sound like myself. My voice was the equivalent of a mouse's.

The man grinned at that. "Crazy in the sense that I want to tear your guts out?" He chuckled. "No. I'm as sane as yourself."

I let out a deep breath. I walked towards him, because at least it was away from _them_. "Who're…what're…do you know-"

The man cut me off with a wave of a thin hand, and I suddenly felt like a stuttering child. His green eyes scrutinised me, and by his expression it was clear that he already didn't think much of me. I couldn't really blame him. "I'm Axel," he said, calmly. "And unless you've never heard of the T-Virus, you'll know exactly what they," he pointed with his chin at the people on the other side of the gate, "are, and that they won't be needing a break to catch some shuteye."

I shook my head. "Whatever you're implying-"

"You know what I'm implying."

"Yeah! And it's insane!"

Axel shrugged lazily and turned away, heading back up the stairs. "Well, if you're going to be a child about it," he sighed. "I'll leave you to it."

"What?!" I cried and stamped up the stairs after him. Was it possible that I'd gone from terrified to furious in seconds? However, I still made a point to make sure the door had shut behind me. "I am _not_ a child."

Axel's shoes padded lightly of the tiled floor as he walked into the interior of the building, unlike the thunderous crash of mine. "How old are you?" he asked.

I glared daggers into the back of his stupid red hair. "Sixteen."

Axel laughed. "You're a baby."

My mouth fell open. "You need to get your eyes checked, old man-"

"Hey!" Axel interrupted me sharply, at the same time turning into the room at the end of the hall. I followed shortly behind him, somewhat awed by how different the classroom seemed, from the hours I'd spent sitting at the back staring at a Bunsen burner. Axel gestured to a chair. "Take a seat," he offered. "And what's your name, anyway?"

I narrowed my eyes. "It's Roxas," I muttered, adding, "And I'll stand, thanks."

"Just sit," Axel said, taking a seat on one of the desks. He rested a foot on the table and let his arm hang over his knee. "Since you ran - screaming, I might add - all the way here, I'm guessing you need to rest."

Too tired to argue anymore, I sighed and sat on a chair opposite him, slouched back with my arms folded.

"Nice job getting here, by the way," Axel said, grinning. "You've certainly let them know of our whereabouts."

I glared. "Why are _you_ here, anyway?" I asked, my tone somewhat childish. "You don't go here."

Axel shrugged. "Big heavy gates equal good protection. All I had to do with pick the lock."

"It was locked?" I shrieked - a shamefully unmanly noise.

"Yep."

I gulped. Shit, shit and more shit. It Axel hadn't gotten here before me, I'd have been ripped apart by those…people. I realised that in a twisted and unintentional sort of way he'd saved my life.

In a brief moment of silence, I realised just how hard my heart was thumping. The tiny organ was pretty much battering my ribcage, and my throat was about at tight as when I'd last talked to Naminé. Thinking of my oldest friend, I could feel a familiar lump forming in my throat. I had to find her before she was hurt…again. I knew it was my fault that she was at the motel in the first place, and now she was scared and alone and hurt because of it. I shouldn't have let her go.

"You're looking thoughtful," Axel noted with a hint of amusement in his tone. "Care to share?"

I glared at him. But any thoughts of letting my pride get in the way of Naminé's safety were soon forgotten. "I have to get downtown," I murmured.

Axel made an inelegant noise. It was a moment before I realised he was trying not to laugh. "It'd be fun to see you try," he said.

I frowned. "What?"

"Did you _see_ the guys that chased you here?" he asked, incredulously. "Downtown will be swimming with those guys. I suggest you stay hidden if you want to stay alive."

I surged to my feet. Suddenly I was angry again. "I don't give a shit what you suggest. I'm not letting my friend die because you said so! When did you become such an expert on…!"

I trailed off and Axel smirked. "Call and spade a spade, Roxas. You know _exactly _what this is." He stood up, and I couldn't help the feeling of awkwardness that came with how close he was. He didn't seem to notice. "Starts with a 'Zombie'," Axel went on slowly, "ends with an 'Apocalypse'."

I swallowed hard and stared at the floor, hands bunched into fists. "This isn't happening," I hissed. "Stuff like this…it doesn't happen".

"You should start pulling it together now," Axel said, surprisingly upbeat. "So pick that chin up off the floor and start the acceptance process." He propped himself back up on the desk and grinned lazily." I'll wait right here."

I looked up sharply. "Is this just a set up for some big joke for you?" I demanded, my voice a low whisper. "Is it funny that I killed my brother? That the first dead body I've ever seen was his?"

Something flickered in Axel's eyes at that and I frowned, trying to work out what it had been. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. "All right, Little Miss Dramatic, I'm sorry for any offence."

"It's not a matter of offence," I said. "It's a matter of knowing when to keep a smartass mouth shut."

"Ouchy."

"OK," I snapped, raising my hands. "I'm done talking to you. I have to get out-"

"And go…where, again?"

"I have to find Naminé!" I shouted. "She's in danger because of me and I have to find her before…"

I trailed off, for the second time, and Axel lips spread into a grin. "Before she 'dies'," he said, putting a certain amount of emphasis on 'dies'.

I looked away and sighed, dejected. "Yes," I muttered.

Axel took in a deep, exaggerated breath before saying, "Fine I'll come with you."

I hadn't expected that. My eyes snapped back to his, narrowed accusingly. "You will?"

"Yeah, never could let down a damsel in distress. Besides," he frowned in disgust. "This whole '_end of the world' _thing would suck if I was stuck here alone."

* * *

**Next chapter will probably have a LOT more in it than this one. i hope to have it up next week, so watch this space. Please review =)**


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